1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an optical connector, and more particularly relates to an optical connector equipped with a shutter, to which a shutter is provided which intercepts light which is emitted from the connection portion of the optical connector, when the optical connector is inserted into and is connected to a connector housing; and to a shutter unit which is used in this shutter equipped connector. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an inner piece which is assembled into a connector housing of an optical connector adapter or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 18, when inserting an optical connector for example, when inserting an optical connector 3 (an optical connector plug) into a connector hole 2 of an optical connector adapter 1, and connecting the optical connector plug to an optical connector 4 (this optical connector plug will sometimes hereinafter be termed the “adapter side optical connector”) which is inserted and connected from the opposite side into the optical connector adapter 1, there is a requirement to exercise protective action so that light H which has been emitted from the tip end of the adapter side optical connector 4 should not enter into the eye of the operator who is operating the optical connector 3 on the insertion side. The same requirement exists when inserting and connecting an optical connector to various types of connector housing such as, for example, an optical connector receptacle or the like.
In view of the above described requirement, for example, several proposals have been made in the prior art to intercept light which has escaped from the adapter side optical connector 4 by providing a lid which opens and closes the connector hole 2 in the vicinity of the aperture portion of the optical connector adapter 1; for example, reference should be made to Japanese Patent Application, First Publication, Nos. Hei 6-201953 and 2002-243978.
However, there have been the following kind of problems with such interception of light using the above described type of lid. (1) With many suggested structures, it has been necessary to perform the release actuation manually when inserting the optical connector, and the labor required for this operation is burdensome. (2) The structure suggested for assembly to the optical connector adapter for free opening and closing has been complicated, and has involved a large number of component parts, so that the cost has been high. In this case, it has also been difficult to make the structure compact, so that it has been necessary to change the basic structure of the optical connector adapter to a considerable extent, and to make it larger. (3) Since making the structure more compact has been difficult according to the reasons given in (2) above, it has been difficult or impossible to respond to current demands for increasing the number of lines dealt with by the optical connector adapter, for increasing the density of the connector fitting holes, and for improvement of compactness.
Furthermore, in recent years, the requirements for electromagnetic radiation shielding capability which have been imposed upon items of electrical and electronic equipment have become more severe, and although, in order to exercise protection so that no influence due to electromagnetic radiation from the exterior is experienced by any electronic components internal to the chassis, to prevent radiation of electromagnetic radiation from the subject item of equipment in question, and to ensure than no influence due to electromagnetic radiation is exerted upon other items of electrical or electronic equipment which are exterior to the subject item, it is per se conventional to utilize a chassis which is made of a metallic material or the like so that it is endowed with electrical conductivity and accordingly exhibits an electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity, there has been the problem that, as shown by way of example in FIGS. 19 through 21, in order to fit such an optical connector adapter 1 to a fitting wall 6 of a chassis 5, it has been necessary to form a connector fitting hole 7 in the fitting wall 6 of the chassis 5 which is of a size large enough for it to be possible to insert the optical connector adapter 1 into the hole. Furthermore, it has been widely practiced to use a component which is made from plastic as the optical connector adapter 1, but, if this type of optical connector adapter 1 is inserted into the connector fitting hole 7 and is fitted to the fitting wall 6, it is not possible to ensure a satisfactory electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity for the connector fitting hole 7, even if the chassis 5 itself is endowed with a good electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity. In view of the above problem, it has been contemplated to attach an electrically conductive cover over the outside of the optical connector adapter 1.
However since, for example, it is a practical impossibility to provide such an electrically conductive cover over the connector hole 2 in the vicinity of the aperture portion of the connector adapter 1, from the point of view of ensuring the workability of the action of establishment of the connection of the optical connector 3 to the optical connector adapter, as a result, it is not possible to guarantee the electromagnetic radiation shielding capability of the connector fitting hole 2. Due to this, a demand has arisen for a technique which is able effectively to implement electromagnetic radiation shielding of a connector fitting hole which has been pierced through a fitting wall of a chassis of an item of equipment or the like. It should be understood that this problem of electromagnetic radiation shielding is not limited to the case of an optical connector adapter; for example, a similar problem also arises in the case of various types of optical connector which are made for an optical connector plug to be inserted and connected into them, such as the case when a connector fitting hole is formed in a fitting wall for fitting an optical connector receptacle, or the like.
The present invention has been conceived in the light of the above described problems, and its objective is to provide an optical connector equipped with a shutter which can easily make a shutter for light interception more compact and of lower cost; which can guarantee fitting positional accuracy and stability, which can implement improvement in the compactness of the connector housing and increase in its density (i.e., increase in the density of the connector fitting hole); which can easily and securely implement an electromagnetic radiation shielding capability for a connector fitting hole by determining its position and fitting it to a connector fitting hole which has been formed in a fitting wall of a chassis of an item of equipment or the like; and which moreover can ensure anti dust protection for the interior of the connector housing.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 46, for example, when inserting an optical connector 3 (an optical connector plug) into a connector hole 2 of an optical connector adapter 1, and connecting the optical connector plug to an optical connector 4 (this optical connector plug will sometimes hereinafter be termed the “adapter side optical connector”) which is inserted and connected from the opposite side into the optical connector adapter 1, there is a requirement to exercise protective action so that light H which has been emitted from the tip end of the adapter side optical connector 4 should not enter into the eye of the operator who is operating the optical connector 3 on the insertion side. The same requirement exists when inserting and connecting an optical connector to various types of connector housing such as, for example, an optical connector receptacle or the like.
In view of the above described requirement, for example, several proposals have been made in the prior art to intercept light which has escaped from the adapter side optical connector 4 by providing a lid which opens and closes the connector hole 2 in the vicinity of the aperture portion of the optical connector adapter 1; for example, reference should be made to Japanese Patent Application, First Publication, Nos. Hei 6-201953 and 2002-243978.
However, there have been the following kind of problems with such interception of light using the above described type of lid. (1) With many suggested structures, it has been necessary to perform the release actuation manually when inserting the optical connector, and the labor required for this operation is burdensome. (2) The structure suggested for assembly to the optical connector adapter for free opening and closing has been complicated, and has involved a large number of component parts, so that the cost has been high. In this case, it has also been difficult to make the structure compact, so that it has been necessary to change the basic structure of the optical connector adapter to a considerable extent, and to make it larger. (3) Since making the structure more compact has been difficult according to the reasons given in (2) above, it has been difficult or impossible to respond to current demands for increasing the number of lines dealt with by the optical connector adapter, for increasing the density of the connector fitting holes, and for improvement of compactness.
Furthermore, in recent years, the requirements for electromagnetic radiation shielding capability which have been imposed upon items of electrical and electronic equipment have become more severe, and, in order to exercise protection so that no influence due to electromagnetic radiation from the exterior is experienced by any electronic components internal to the chassis, to prevent radiation of electromagnetic radiation from the subject item of equipment in question, and to ensure than no influence due to electromagnetic radiation is exerted upon other items of electrical or electronic equipment which are exterior to the subject item, it is per se conventional to utilize a chassis which is made of a metallic material or the like so that it is endowed with electrical conductivity and accordingly exhibits an electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity.
However, there has been the problem that, as shown by way of example in FIGS. 47 through 49, in order to fit such an optical connector adapter 1 to a fitting wall 6 of a chassis 5, it has been necessary to form a connector fitting hole 7 in the fitting wall 6 of the chassis 5 which is of a size large enough for it to be possible to insert the optical connector adapter 1 into the hole. For this, it has been widely practiced to use a component which is made from plastic as the optical connector adapter 1. However, if this type of optical connector adapter 1 is inserted into the connector fitting hole 7 and is fitted to the fitting wall 6, it is not possible to ensure a satisfactory electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity for the connector fitting hole 7, even if the chassis 5 itself is endowed with a good electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity. In view of these facts, it has been contemplated to attach an electrically conductive cover over the outside of the optical connector adapter 1.
However since, for example, it is a practical impossibility to provide such an electrically conductive cover over the connector hole 2 in the vicinity of the aperture portion of the connector adapter 1, from the point of view of ensuring the workability of the action of establishment of the connection of the optical connector 3 to the optical connector adapter, as a result, it is not possible to guarantee the electromagnetic radiation shielding capability of the connector fitting hole 2. Due to this, a demand has arisen for a technique which is able effectively to implement electromagnetic radiation shielding of a connector fitting hole which has been pierced through a fitting wall of a chassis of an item of equipment or the like. It should be understood that this problem of electromagnetic radiation shielding is not limited to the case of an optical connector adapter; for example, a similar problem also arises in the case of various types of optical connector which are made for an optical connector plug to be inserted and connected into them, such as the case when a connector fitting hole is formed in a fitting wall for fitting an optical connector receptacle, or the like.
The present invention has been conceived in the light of the above described problems, and its objective is to provide an optical connector equipped with a shutter which can easily make a shutter for light interception more compact and of lower cost; which can guarantee fitting positional accuracy and stability, which can implement improvement in the compactness of the connector housing and increase in its density (i.e., increase in the density of the connector fitting hole); which can easily and securely implement an electromagnetic radiation shielding capability for a connector fitting hole by determining its position and fitting it to a connector fitting hole which has been formed in a fitting wall of a chassis of an item of equipment or the like; and which moreover can ensure anti dust protection for the interior of the connector housing.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 61, for example, when inserting an optical connector 3 (an optical connector plug) into a connector hole 2 of an optical connector adapter 1, and connecting the optical connector plug to an optical connector 4 (this optical connector plug will sometimes hereinafter be termed the “adapter side optical connector”) which is inserted and connected from the opposite side into the optical connector adapter 1, there is a requirement to exercise protective action so that light H which has been emitted from the tip end of the adapter side optical connector 4 should not enter into the eye of the operator who is operating the optical connector 3 on the insertion side. The same requirement exists when inserting and connecting an optical connector to various types of connector housing such as, for example, an optical connector receptacle or the like.
In view of the above described requirement, for example, several proposals have been made in the prior art to intercept light which has escaped from the adapter side optical connector 4 by providing a lid which opens and closes the connector hole 2 in the vicinity of the aperture portion of the optical connector adapter 1; for example, reference should be made to Japanese Patent Application, First Publication, Nos. Hei 6-201953 and 2002-243978.
However, there have been the following kind of problems with such interception of light using the above described type of lid. (1) With many suggested structures, it has been necessary to perform the release actuation manually when inserting the optical connector, and the labor required for this operation is burdensome. (2) The structure suggested for assembly to the optical connector adapter for free opening and closing has been complicated, and has involved a large number of component parts, so that the cost has been high. In this case, it has also been difficult to make the structure compact, so that it has been necessary to change the basic structure of the optical connector adapter to a considerable extent, and to make it larger. (3) Since making the structure more compact has been difficult according to the reasons given in (2) above, it has been difficult or impossible to respond to current demands for increasing the number of lines dealt with by the optical connector adapter, for increasing the density of the connector fitting holes, and for improvement of compactness.
Furthermore, in recent years, the requirements for electromagnetic radiation shielding capability which have been imposed upon items of electrical and electronic equipment have become more severe, and, in order to exercise protection so that no influence due to electromagnetic radiation from the exterior is experienced by any electronic components internal to the chassis, to prevent radiation of electromagnetic radiation from the subject item of equipment in question, and to ensure than no influence due to electromagnetic radiation is exerted upon other items of electrical or electronic equipment which are exterior to the subject item, it is per se conventional to utilize a chassis which is made of a metallic material or the like so that it is endowed with electrical conductivity and accordingly exhibits an electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity; but there has been the problem that, as shown by way of example in FIGS. 62 through 64, in order to fit such an optical connector adapter 1 to a fitting wall 6 of a chassis 5, it has been necessary to form a connector fitting hole 7 in the fitting wall 6 of the chassis 5 which is of a size large enough for it to be possible to insert the optical connector adapter 1 into the hole. For this, it has been widely practiced to use a component which is made from plastic as the optical connector adapter 1; but however, if this type of optical connector adapter 1 is inserted into the connector fitting hole 7 and is fitted to the fitting wall 6, it is not possible to ensure a satisfactory electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity for the connector fitting hole 7, even if the chassis 5 itself is endowed with a good electromagnetic radiation shielding capacity.
In view of the above problem, it has been contemplated to attach an electrically conductive cover over the outside of the optical connector adapter 1; but since, for example, it is a practical impossibility to provide such an electrically conductive cover over the connector hole 2 in the vicinity of the aperture portion of the connector adapter 1, from the point of view of ensuring the workability of the action of establishment of the connection of the optical connector 3 to the optical connector adapter 1, as a result, it is not possible to guarantee the electromagnetic radiation shielding capability of the connector fitting hole 2. Due to this, a demand has arisen for a technique which is able effectively to implement electromagnetic radiation shielding of a connector fitting hole which has been pierced through a fitting wall of a chassis of an item of equipment or the like.
It should be understood that this problem of electromagnetic radiation shielding is not limited to the case of an optical connector adapter; for example, a similar problem also arises in the case of various types of optical connector which are made for an optical connector plug to be inserted and connected into them, such as the case when a connector fitting hole is formed in a fitting wall for fitting an optical connector receptacle, or the like.
The present invention has been conceived in the light of the above described problems, and its objective is to provide an optical connector equipped with a shutter, a shutter unit, and an inner piece which is assembled within a connector housing of an optical connector adapter or the like, which can easily make a shutter for light interception more compact and of lower cost; which can guarantee fitting positional accuracy and stability, which can implement improvement in the compactness of the connector housing and increase in its density (i.e., increase in the density of the connector fitting hole); which can easily and securely implement an electromagnetic radiation shielding capability for a connector fitting hole by determining its position and fitting it to a connector fitting hole which has been formed in a fitting wall of a chassis of an item of equipment or the like; and which moreover can ensure anti dust protection for the interior of the connector housing.